LUDHIANA: Thirteen days after the video of two industrialists emptying soot into First Patiala Feeder canal near Doraha Bridge went viral, the report by Punjab Pollution Control Board (PPCB) has indicated that the material was not chemical waste, but charcoal ash. The
irrigation department is awaiting the lab report and the address of the industrialists before starting action against them.
On June 10, a two-minute video made by an unidentified person went viral and showed two men emptying two bags of black coloured ash and other waste into the First Patiala Feeder (that goes to Sangrur,
Mansa etc.) at Maanpur near Doraha bridge. Later, in a written apology to PPCB, the duo Rajeev Jain and Sanjeev Jain, both brothers and residents of Barewal Road, had claimed that it was worship material that was generated in a hawan at their home on June 9 which they disposed in water body on the advise of a priest.
A senior PPCB officer confirmed that the report of the sample they had collected from the canal side and sent to the PPCB laboratory in Patiala, has ruled out presence of chemical substance in it. He added that the report indicates that the material was charcoal ash.
Meanwhile, the irrigation department has written a letter to PPCB asking for various details of the case.
Sandeep Singh, sub-divisional officer (SDO) irrigation department, Doraha, said that they have written to PPCB asking for the report of the sample collected from the spot and information about the two persons who were seen in video throwing stuff into the canal. After they get these details, they will send notice to the persons, said Singh.
Irrigation department officials said that after getting Daily Diary Report (DDR) registered against the two unidentified persons (seen in the video) at Doraha police station under Section 70 (5) of the Northern India Canal and Drainage Act, 1873, the SDO had recommended action against the duo. They added that by throwing unwanted material into the canal the two persons have committed offence under section Section 70 (5) of Northern India Canal and Drainage Act, 1873, which prescribes six-month imprisonment or a minimum fine of Rs 5,000 or both.
What video shows
In the video, as soon the two persons throw the foreign stuff into the canal, the clean water turns black and remains so till some distance downstream. Later, when the person making the video questions the two persons about their action, one of them tells him to not record the same, while the other person avers that he is not a minister to question them.